The Saguaro Building isn't your typical <a href="http://inhabitat.com/enneads-gateway-center-sustainably-enhances-westchester-community-college/">community college</a> educational facility. The most recent addition to the Red Mountain Campus of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/getting-leed-gold-mesa-community-college%E2%80%99s-physical-science-buiding/">Mesa Community College</a> in Mesa, Arizona is actually a living laboratory. Terrariums in the new life sciences and performing arts building showcase Sonoran Desert wildlife and a snake wrangling pit. The exterior of the building acts as a shade screen to help keep the interior cool also doubles as a bat roost, so teachers and students can observe and study the nocturnal mammals. Designed by SmithGroup, the Saguaro Building reflects the surrounding desert and incorporated sustainability strategies to achieve a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/leed-gold">LEED Gold certification</a>.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The 42,870 sq ft community college facility provides space for both the life sciences and the performing arts with classrooms and a black box performance space downstairs and faculty offices upstairs.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

At the entrance to the building, a cafe and lounge area welcomes students, faculty and visitors acting as an informal student union for the growing college.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

Large trellis surround the building to create shady protected zones for students to gather and meet.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The performance hall is wrapped on the exterior with steel space frame covered in perforated steel decking to act as a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/shade-screen">shade screen</a>.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

This allows air to freely move next to the building and protects the interior from solar heat gain.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The surrounding landscape is reflected in the building's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/desert-architecture">desert architecture</a>, which makes use of nature-inspired materials, rusty steel and rock

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The faculty deck offers views of the campus and surrounding desert.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

Drought tolerant landscaping helps the building reduce water usage by 60%.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The large lobby acts as an informal student union and gathering space.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

Large windows pull in lots of daylighting.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

Bright colors make the space vibrant.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

Inside the black box performance space.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The terrariums inside the lobby show off desert plants and animals.

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College-SmithGroup

The Saguaro Building isn't your typical community college educational facility. The most recent addition to the Red Mountain Campus of Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona is actually a living laboratory. Terrariums in the new life sciences and performing arts building showcase Sonoran Desert wildlife and a snake wrangling pit. The exterior of the building acts as a shade screen to help keep the interior cool also doubles as a bat roost, so teachers and students can observe and study the nocturnal mammals. Designed by SmithGroup, the Saguaro Building reflects the surrounding desert and incorporated sustainability strategies to achieve a LEED Gold certification.